When the Baltimore Ravens drafted LSU linebacker Patrick Queen with the 28th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the hope was that he would develop into one of the cornerstones of their defense before long.
Through two years, that hasn’t really happened. That’s not to say that Queen hasn’t had flashes of greatness, but it’s safe to say that he’s fallen a little short of expectations to this point.
However, that obviously isn’t the opinion shared by everyone around the NFL. In a recent ESPN poll of more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts, and players, Queen was listed as an honorable mention when discussing the best linebackers in the NFL.
Given the structure of the poll, that means there are numerous people around the league who believe Queen is a top-10 linebacker in the NFL. That certainly comes as a surprise to many Ravens fans who have watched him play over the last two years.
"“Queen has made an instant impact for Baltimore in his first two years and embodies the Ravens’ physical style of play. ‘Really good player — fast, explosive, not very big but overcomes a lot of that,’ a veteran NFC scout said.”"
Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen has some fans around the NFL
Queen had a bit of a rollercoaster of a rookie season in 2020. While the former LSU star flashed his potential with splash plays and notable moments, his inconsistency was evident as well.
He finished his rookie year with a disastrous Pro Football Focus grade of 29.7 that ranked 82nd out of just 83 qualified linebackers. PFF grades aren’t everything, but Queen’s struggles in both coverage and run defense weren’t exactly a secret.
The hope was that Queen would be able to take a big step forward in his second NFL season, and while he did show some signs of improvement, I wouldn’t exactly categorize his sophomore NFL campaign as a “breakout” season or anything.
Queen still struggled with consistency, although he notably improved when he was paired with veteran Josh Bynes midseason. Bynes’ addition to the starting lineup allowed Queen to play more as a WILL. In turn, Queen wasn’t asked to take on as many responsibilities on defense.
The 22-year-old played some of the best football of his young career last season, and although he still has a long way to go to live up to his pre-draft expectations, the signs of growth were there.
However, it certainly seems a bit premature to call Queen a potential top-10 linebacker in the entire NFL. There was a point last season where Queen was relegated to playing 35-45 percent of snaps per game simply because the Ravens didn’t trust him to play more.
It’s hard to justify calling someone like that a top-10 linebacker, but hey, any praise is always appreciated.
Patrick Queen probably doesn’t deserve to be on any ranking of the NFL’s top linebackers, but if he continues to show improvement, the sky really is the limit for the former LSU standout.